The Ballerina
by marvelfan001
Summary: Fae was a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet who has always seen the good in people. But what will happen if she meets someone who works with the worst? (because Wesley doesn't get enough love) OC/Wesley
1. Chapter 1

_I am SO late_ …. Fae thought to herself as she was speed walking down the sidewalk. She was quickly downing her overprized nonfat venti coffee she so badly needed while simultaneously navigating her way through the crowd. Everyone was trying to get a taxi, so what was the point when it was just another fifteen minutes.

She threw the empty plastic cup in the trashcan as she looked both ways to cross the street. An oncoming car showed no signs of stopping, so she waited, but the man to her right wasn't paying as much attention. Looking at his phone he began walking forward.

Wide eyed she grabbed at his arm and pulled him in her direction. Shocked, the man lost his balance and gabbed her waist for stability as she placed her hands onto his chest to avoid colliding with him.

"What the-" his sentence was cut short by the honking of the taxi driver flying by.

"You have to be more careful in this city, they'll run you over without a second thought." Fae said as she took a step back, looking up at the man. "I'm Fae, and I think I just saved your life."

The man straightened his suit jacket before making eye contact. Not saying a word, Fae found it a little unsettling. "A name or a simple thank you would suffice."

He opened his mouth so respond, but his phone buzzed. He looked down and Fae rolled her eyes. She glanced over at the others on the sidewalk beginning to make their way to the other side of the street. "Well, not that this hasn't been fun or anything, but I am running kind of late. Have a nice rest of your day and avoid being run over by crazy taxi drivers."

She took off, not noticing the man she left behind staying in place, just watching her. Three black tinted windowed SUVs pulled up as the signal changed. He got into the last one, shaking his head before answering an incoming phone call.

Fae opened the backdoor to the David H. Koch Theater and after a multitude of stairs found her way to the dressing room she shared with the other ballerinas and was greeted by a multitude of hellos.

The girls got their shoes on and made their way to the practice room. The New York City Ballet was putting on A Midsummer Night's Dream. Fae was to play the role of Titania. As a Principal dancer, she beat out 15 of the others for the role. But as their ballet master said, at her age, 21, she had a lot to prove to not only him and the other dancers, but to herself and the audience.

After becoming an apprentice after her time at the School of American Ballet, she quickly rose the ranks due to her talent. She was a prodigy at dance, but really honed in on her ballet skills, which thankfully wasn't all for nothing when she was given her contract with the company.

She loved every minute of her time at the New York City Ballet. She had made a lot of friends, and though there was serious competition, she remained the same kind person she had always been, gaining her friendships. She helped the apprentices in her spare time and worked very hard to get where she was.

After an hour warm up and a grueling six hour practice followed by another one and a half hour solo practice, Fae bid farewell to the theater and got a taxi back to her I bedroom Midtown apartment. It was a little on the pricier side and was where 80% of her paychecks went to, but Fae was content with that. After eating some leftover grilled chicken and veggies, she took a quick shower before lying in bed and quickly falling asleep.

Somewhere on the other side of town, James Wesley was walking into a partially constructed United Allied building, getting into an elevator and riding up to see his employer's colleagues. His thoughts were drifted back to that petite brunette who pulled him out of the way of an oncoming car. He usually wasn't one to be distracted, but this girl was…distracting.

He shook his head before the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened. He pushed her as much as he could to the back of his head as he walked towards the group waiting for his employer.

"Oh please tell me he is right behind you." Leland said as Wesley smirked. This was going to be an interesting meeting.


	2. Chapter 2

Fae had just left the theatre after another long practice, but at least this one started early so she had the rest of the afternoon off. Glancing down at the phone, she saw she had a missed text from her brother. She hadn't seen him since the company started rehearsing due to her busy schedule, but they had been texting a lot. He had just recently bought a space for his business, so she asked for the address and started walking towards Hell's Kitchen.

After swinging into Starbucks, she was a caffeine and Starbucks addict, she finally found the building and took the stairs two at a time. She came to the door and laughed to herself; the boys had put a makeshift sign up on the door. She knocked gently three times before opening the door.

"Foggy?" She said as she peeked into the office space. Instead of finding her older brother, she saw a tall woman with long blonde hair, gently fanning herself and looking a bit distressed.

"Um, hi…" Fae started at she walked into the room and stood in front of the door, gently rocking back to close it behind her. The woman looked over and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson and Mr. Murdock are in a meeting right now. You are more than welcome to wait out here."

"Actually, I'm 'Mr. Nelson's' younger sister Fae."

"Oh," The woman responded before getting wide eyed. "Oh, where are my manners. I'm Karen, Karen Page, the new secretary." She walked over and held her hand out. Fae reached out and shook it. Karen was not only taller than the 5'3" dancer, but she also wore heels.

"I decided to drop by after practice, I usually don't get out this early, but when I can I try and come over and see Foggy since we don't get to see each other in person too often. And you mentioned Matt was here as well?"

Karen nodded and smiled. "Yeah, like I said, they are in a meeting with some…asshole. But they should be out shortly, Matt didn't seem too interested in whatever that man had to say. But you are still welcome to stay out here and wait-oh-do you want coffee or tea or anything?"

Fae lifted up her almost empty cup of iced coffee. "No thank you, I don't need to much caffeine, I would bounce off the walls. You should have seen the day I discovered coffee and Starbucks."

The girls laughed as one of the office doors opened. Fae saw Karen's smile dissipate before she turned to see who opened the door. As she looked over her shoulder she saw it was the man from a few days ago; the one whom she pulled out of the way of oncoming traffic. She saw him glance over and throw a fake smile over her shoulder to Karen before his eyes rested on her. She noticed he did a double take before smirking and looking her up and down before walking out the door.

She turned back to Karen. "Was that the asshole?" Karen didn't respond, she only glared at the front door. Fae was still looking at Karen when she heard another set of footsteps quickly come out of the same office the man came out of.

"The hell you going?" She heard Foggy yell as Matt was walking towards the door. Fae quickly stood up and followed Matt out the door shouting "Hey Foggy!" before disappearing down the stairs with Matt.

She linked arms with him and helped him quickly down the stairs. "What are you doing? Following the man?" Matt nodded. "Following the ticking in his watch."

"Well right now I am your eyes. Go right when we walk out the door." They quickly followed the man down the street and Fae watched him get into a black SUV, surrounded by more SUVs. The whole thing seemed off, and she didn't like the feeling it gave her as she watched the cars disappear down the street, but she stayed quiet until she looked to Matt and saw him clutching his side. She could see red.

"Matt…" Fae started but he cut her off.

"It would be best if you didn't ask." He said, before turning around and walking back to the office. She quickly caught up with him as they walking into the building.

"I won't say anything about it or tell Foggy, but you know you can always tell me anything Matt." She stated, ending the conversation.


	3. Chapter 3

Foggy and Matt, after meeting with the man the "asshole" said was to be their new client, Matt decided, surprisingly, to take the case. Fae was surprised when Foggy told her while they ate dinner.

"What changed his mind? He was so adamant against them at first, or at least it seemed." Fae asked as she sipped her water.

"I don't know. He walked in after I had already started interviewing the guy and said we were taking the case. But Fae, this guy we're representing, he's nuts."

Both were quiet before Fae spoke up.

"What did you think of that man who came to your office? Did he seem off to you?"

Foggy squinted his eyes and stared into Fae's.

"Do you know that guy?"

Fae got wide-eyed.

"No! No, I just wanted to see if there was a pattern, maybe they are both crazy. I just…this guy offered you a lot of money to defend this guy who seems very guilty. That scares me, thats all. I just….I just don't want you and Matt and Karen getting involved with these types of people. I know you have to pay rent for your firm but please be careful."

Foggy sighed before answering.

"This will be the only time we ever do this, trust me. And all I know about the man who hired us is that apparently his check is going to clear. And we need that money. Besides, who is going to let this guy go free?"

Fae took a deep breath and looked out the window as she sighed.

"Just please be careful."

The waitress set the check down on the table before filling up Fae's glass of water. Foggy took out his waller but Fae shook her head.

"I got this bro, you need to save all the money you can to put towards that firm of yours."

She pulled out her wallet and handed her card to the waitress. After she signed the receipt, they both walked outside.

"Heading back to the office?" Fae asked.

"Yeah, Matt said he wanted to start working on the case as soon as possible. We got this in the bag. You should come to the trail."

"I'll see what I can do around my training schedule. You still coming to the opening night? I still have those tickets if you want to bring a special someone? Maybe Karen?"

"God, no Fae, it's not like that."

Fae laughed before shrugging and responding, "You never know. Goodnight, and text me when it's time for the trail."

They hugged and went their separate ways. Unbeknownst to Fae, there was a man in a parked car watching her. The man pulled out his phone and texted 'She just left the restaurant. She is walking alone.' A few seconds went by before his phone lit up. 'Follow her. Make sure she gets home safe.' The man waited a couple more seconds before turning the car on and making a U-turn. "I don't get paid enough for this." He grumbled as he followed Fae down the streets of New York City.


	4. Chapter 4

Time seemed to fly by and before she knew it, Fae was sitting in the courtroom listening to her brother speak before the jury. She sat towards the back due to the fact that she had to go in for a solo rehearsal later that day.

Wearing a light pink cashmere sweater, light wash ankle jeans, and cognac ankle boots, she stood out from the sea of dark suits sitting around her. She pushed her lightly curled hair to one shoulder and took a deep breath as her brother finished speaking and walked back to where his client and Matt were sitting.

She noticed Matt slightly move his head in her direction, and before she knew it the seat next to her was filled. She barely glanced over and had to do a double take. It was the 'asshole'. He smiled at her before looking ahead. She noticed Matt's head hadn't moved. She cleared her throat and Matt looked ahead.

The 'asshole' crossed his leg to where his foot brushed her leg and folded his hands, putting his elbows on his raised knee. She could feel him looking at her, but his head stayed in the same position. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, her heartbeat raised slightly. She could see Matt was fidgeting in his seat. She knew he could hear her.

Fae felt like an eternity passed before she was able to stand up and leave the court. She quickly jumped up and grabbed her leather tote. She turned to leave, but the 'asshole' was blocking her path. He had remained seated and stared ahead. She could see his eyes narrow and she looked at what he appeared to be looking at-one of the jury members. The woman barely glanced at him, but Fae could tell the poor woman was visibly nervous.

She cleared her throat loudly and he shifted his eyes over to her. He took a deep breath before slowly uncrossing his leg. She rolled her eyes before speaking sarcastically.

"Please, do take your time."

He smirked before standing up and facing her. He extending his hand.

"I believe we have met before, Miss Nelson."

Fae didn't move.

"If you would please step aside, I'm running late."

He let his hand drop and he moved out of the aisle and did a mock bow. She quickly walked around him to the door. She could feel him walking behind her. She tried to speed up, but as she got to the courthouse steps, her phone rang. She tried to quickly pull it out of her bag, but in her hurry, she missed a step and almost fell. She started to fall backwards when someone's forearms appeared under her arms.

Though she already knew who it was, Fae looked up and saw the man smirking.

"Good thing I was here, that would have been a nasty fall."

Fae quickly got up and smoothed her sweater.

"Thank you, but I must be going."

The man raised his arm, stopping her.

"If you need a ride, my car is right here." He said. Fae began to open her mouth to protest but he cut her off. "I insist."

Fae looked at her watch and saw she was going to be late. She took a deep breath before exhaling the word, "Ok."

The man smiled and walked forward a few steps and opened the car door for her. What was she getting herself into?


	5. Chapter 5

The car ride was quiet for the first few minutes, giving Fae time to think about what question she wanted to ask first. She took a deep breath.

"How do you know my name?"

She said as she turned to him, realizing he had already been looking at her.

"I conduct business with your brother, he told me about you."

Fae narrowed her eyes.

"No, he didn't. This is the first and last time you will work with my brother's law firm. Do you understand me?"

The man smirked before replying.

"I don't think your opinion is valid in this situation."

Fae glared at him.

"Who are you? What business do you have with my brother?"

"I'm an interested party, in more ways than one. Let's leave it at that."

A look of confusion crossed her face, but she continued to push the question.

"I need to know your name, sir."

"And why is that?"

"I would like to thank the man who has given me a ride a proper thank you."

"I don't think that is the real reason Ms. Nelson."

Fae looked out the window in sudden realization of her situation.

"How do you know where to take me? I didn't tell you where to go."

The man smirked again, something that was beginning to annoy Fae, before he responded.

"I like to know everything about the people my employer does business with, including the proximity of family members."

"That's not a reassuring answer Mr. whoever you are. Stop the car, I'm walking the rest of the way."

Fae looked at the driver, who looked at the man sitting next to her for an answer. The man didn't give one.

"You are being rather ungrateful Ms. Nelson."

Fae scoffed.

"First of all, it's not ungrateful to get out of the car of a total stranger who has been saying nothing but vague nonsense. Second, you will leave my brother, his law firm, and me alone after this case is over. Do I make myself clear?"

The man looked down at her before replying.

"Crystal clear."

"And third-" Fae unlocked the car door and opened it, causing the driver to swear and come to a halt. "-good day asshole."

Fae slammed the car door and walked behind it to get on the sidewalk. She had walked about five steps when she realized the car was driving beside her. She glanced at it for a second but continued to look ahead. The window of the car she was in rolled down to reveal the man holding her bag.

"I believe you forgot something Ms. Neslon."

Fae rolled her eyes and sighed before walking over to him and snatching her bag out of his hand. His hand quickly grabbed her wrist before she could get away. A look of shock was replaced by a piercing glare on Fae's face.

"Let me go." She said through gritted teeth.

"James."

"Excuse me?"

"My name is James." The man said before releasing her and rolling the window up. Fae stood there watching the SUV drive off. She heard her phone go off, shaking her from her daze. She dug her phone out and read the text.

 _It was a pleasure being your chauffeur Ms. Nelson. I will be looking forward to seeing you again at the trial._

Fae groaned before throwing her phone back into her bag and storming off to practice. This James guy was really starting to tick her off.

In the back of the SUV, Wesley looked at his phone. He wasn't really expecting a reply, but he smirked at what her face would look like when she saw he had taken the liberty in getting her phone number.

"Feisty one, that girl of your's Wesley."

Wesley glanced up at the driver before turning his attention out the window.

"Not yet, Francis, not yet."


	6. Chapter 6

Fae used her keycard to gain access into the side of the theater. She was in no mood to dance anymore. All she wanted to do was call Foggy or Matt and tell them what an idiot she was and what had just occurred.

She would much rather talk to the latter; at least Matt would listen to the whole story before giving her an answer. She knew the moment she mentioned this James guy to her older brother he would go off and she would get an earful.

She pulled out her phone and dialed Matt's number. He picked up after the first ring.

"Are you ok?"

Fae sighed. "Yes and no. I have to go to practice, but can we meet up for dinner. I'll explain everything."

"Sure, yeah, just please be careful Fae. Call me right after practice is over. I heard him sit next to you."

Fae's memory flashed back to Matt's apparent nervousness the moment James took the seat next to her. She didn't know how to respond to his statement, so Fae told Matt she would call him after practice. She put her phone on silent a she walked into the dressing room.

Five hours later, Fae was quickly changing out of her practice tutu and into her skinny jeans. As she bid the other dancers a good night and was pulling her phone out to call Matt, she walked past and glanced into Paul, the Ballet Master's, office.

She came to a halt and quickly hit behind the wall next to the open door. James' driver was whispering something to Paul. Paul looked rather frightened. Fae tried to listen to what they were saying while digging her phone out of her bag as quietly as she could. She had to call Matt.

"Do you understand Mr. Tane?" The driver said menacingly.

"Yes sir. Completely." She heard Paul respond, a quiver in his voice.

As she was digging for her phone, she grabbed a black hoodie at the bottom of her bag, quickly threw it on, pulled the hood up, and turned and started walking. She heard the driver leave Paul's office and start walking behind her. She pretended to drop something and bend down, covering her face as he passed.

The moment he turned around the corner, Fae shot up and raced back to Paul's office.

As she turned the corner and was mid sentence asking him if he were ok, Paul jumped in fright. Fae stopped and held her hands up.

"It's just me, Paul."

Paul glanced behind her before looking at her again.

"Fae, my girl," he said in his thick accent. "Did that man see you?"

Fae shook her head no before Paul continued.

"You need to go out the front entrance. He is waiting for you out back."

Fae took in a slow shaky breath before she responded.

"Did he say why? Or where he was taking me?"

"I'm afraid I don't know. All I know is that his employer just donated a lot of money to our company."

"But…why?" Fae asked.

"For many things Fae. I cannot disclose much to you, all I know is that whoever he is, he asked about you and your role here. And he had the money to get those answers."

Fae took a step back, shaking her head.

"I, I have to go Paul."

"Be careful my girl, and use the front entrance."

Fae smiled at him thankfully and made a beeline for the entrance. She dialed Matt's number and put the phone to her ear. Once again he answered quickly. But before he could say much, Fae interrupted.

"Matt, the man sent someone into the ballet. They bribed someone to get answers about me. They're waiting out back for me and I'm scared."

"Ok, take a deep breath Fae. Do you need me to come and get you?"

"No, I need you to stay on the phone with me until I make it to your apartment. We are ordering in. I don't want anyone spying or following us. I know I sound crazy, but-"

"You don't sound crazy. How long will it take you to get to my apartment?"

Fae sighed. "I don't know. Maybe ten minutes. I'm about to walk out the front."

"Ok, I'll be waiting outside about a block over. Check outside before you walk out the doors."

Fae squinted out the doors, looking for anyone standing outside. When she saw no one, she took a deep breath before opening the door. Once she got outside, she knew she couldn't go back in since the doors were locked from the inside.

She could hear Matt leaving his apartment and walking down the hallway with his cane through the phone. She continually glanced around, not looking at one spot too long, just in case anyone popped around a corner.

She made a large circle around the fountain, just in case anyone was sitting on the other side. She was at an almost jogging pace as she reached the street and headed for Hell's Kitchen.

She looked everywhere for a black SUV. She saw none, but kept glancing at the road. She kept her hood up and when she wasn't looking at the road, she kept her head down.

She felt her heart almost stop beating when she saw the driver casually walk around the corner. He wasn't looking at her, but instead looked like he was in a heated conversation with someone on the other end of his cell phone.

She kept her head down and whispered into the phone, "He is walking past me."

"Keep your head down Fae and slow your breathing."

As they passed by each other, it seemed like everything was throw into slow motion. She heard him say something about how "she hasn't come out of the building yet, but we have people waiting at all the entrances now."

She was glad she left when she did. The man didn't even glance at her as he continued walking. She breathed out a sigh of relief as she was about to cross the street.

"He didn't see-"

Her sentence was cut short when the tinted SUV screeched to a stop in front of her and she was shoved from behind into the vehicle. She felt her life flash before her eyes and the phone was taken away from her. She could hear Matt yelling through the phone before the man ended the call.

Overwhelmed, Fae saw the world go dark as she fainted.


	7. Chapter 7

Fae woke up to hear arguing voices, speaking in Russian. She kept her eyes closed, trying to catch what they were saying. She had studied abroad in Russia for a year, so she had somewhat picked up the language.

But that was almost three years ago. She could make out "wrong girl" and "what should we do with her" before she heard someone walk over and lightly slap her face.

She squinted when she opened her eyes, there were multiple overhead lights. She looked around but all she saw were taxis and big men; had no idea where she was or hat time it was. She tried to get up, but realized she was tied to a chair.

The man who was standing in front of her knelt down to her eye level. She tried to lean back as far as she could in the chair. He didn't look happy.

"You are not Karina Klose" He stated. A look of confusion came across Fae's face.

"No, I'm not, but I work with her. What do you want with her?" Karina was another principle dancer who was very hard working, but not very social.

"She owes us, but that is not what you should be concerned about. You should be worried about the predicament you have found yourself in." Fae would have scoffed if she were stupid at his answer.

"I'm not the one who messed up. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

The man simply stood up, obviously frustrated that she was correct. He sighed before answering, "You're right," before pulling out a gun and shooting a man who stood behind him.

Fae jumped in her chair, fear visible on her face. She just watched a man die. She looked from the dead body to the man while he turned to another man and spoke once again in Russian.

"Take her to the docks, we have no further use of her. Maybe we could get a good price for her pretty face."

Fae felt a panic attack coming as her breathing became irregular. As the man spoken to approached her, she heard footsteps coming from behind her.

"Boys, my employer-" The man didn't finish her sentence. Fae sat up straight and turned her head as far as she could towards the sound of the voice. It was James.

Before she could say anything, James spoke up.

"What on earth is going on here?" From the nonchalant way he spoke, it seemed like he didn't care what was going on. Fae scoffed and took a breath before opening her mouth to tell him off, but stopped when she saw his eyes flick over to her, a look of worry in them.

The look was fleeting though and he was back to his bored look. Fae shut her mouth and decided his look was one of warning. A "shut up and I'll get you out of here" look.

"One of our men picked up the wrong girl, so Vladimir was about to take her to the docks. She has seen too much, so why not simply sell the pretty face?"

Wesley appeared to understand, he nodded his head. "Huh. Well, How about I make your lives easier and just buy her off of you now?"

The one who spoke to her earlier chuckled. "I thought you opposed our line of work?"

"You'll have enough to worry about since I'm here to ask a favor for my employer. And like you said, she has a pretty face."

The Russian man smirked before agreeing. "Ok, you can have her. Now what is it that your employer wants?"

James and two of the men started walking off, appearing to Fae like they forgot she was tied to a chair. Suddenly, she heard a knife cut through the rope that bound her and she stood up, turning around to face James' driver.

"You!" But before she could finish her sentence the man spoke up.

"Right this way mam, I'll take you to the car." He lightly grabbed her arm and pulled her up a ramp towards the exit. She could see it was still nighttime as the man opened the door to the SUV. She hesitantly took a step forward before the man whispered, "I'm not going to hurt you Miss Nelson. You do need to get in the car though."

She took a deep breath before stepping into the car. The man closed the door behind her before walking around the car and getting in the driver's seat. Fae leaned forward.

"What is your name?"

The man looked in the rearview mirror. "Francis, mam."

"Well, Francis, what the hell is going on?!"


	8. Chapter 8

Fae quietly sat in the back seat of the SUV lost in her own thoughts as the streets of New York City went by. Not too long ago Francis seemed like he was about to tell her what had happened to her and how he and James had found her when he received a text and instead told her he was taking her somewhere safe. She had asked where exactly, but Francis replied that he wasn't allowed.

Fae took a deep breath, resting her head against the window, closing her eyes. In what only felt like seconds, but in reality was probably half an hour, she felt the car come to a stop. When she reopened her eyes they were in an underground parking lot.

Francis had stepped out of the car to open her door and extend his hand. Fae silently thanked him with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Francis led her to the elevator in the corner and pressed the button. The ding announcing the elevators arrival echoed on the concrete walls and when the doors slid open, Fae could tell the building she was about to be in was lavish.

The two silently rode up to the 12th floor and when the elevator doors slid open, Francis motioned for Fae to get out first. Fae's eyes got wide and she resisted letting her mouth drop to the floor at the sight of this penthouse. As she was taking it all in, she heard Francis walking around, flipping switched and such.

"You will have to remain here until instructed otherwise. Do you understand?"

Fae turned around to face Francis, slowly nodding.

"Where am I? Who owns this place? James?"

Francis seemed hesitant, but he replied.

"Yes, he does. His, our, employer provided it for him. Now, I've been told to relay the message that you can explore the penthouse until he gets back here. I have to go, but here is my phone number in case you need it. Help yourself to anything here."

Francis started to head towards the elevator. Fae took a few timid steps towards him.

"Thank you, Francis."

His only reply was a head nod as the elevator doors opened, he stepped in, pressed a button, and the doors closed. Fae was alone now, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she turned back around and slowly walked over to the floor to ceiling windows, looking out at the city.

Fae took another deep breath before whispering no one, "What is going on?"


	9. Chapter 9

Fae didn't have the slightest clue how much time had passed, but she hadn't moved from her spot overlooking the city when a voice broke the silence.

"Like the view, Miss Nelson?"

Fae gasped in shock, covering her mouth and spinning around in search of the voice. James was walking into the room putting a briefcase down.

"I didn't hear the elevator…" Fae started but her voice trialed off. James walked over to her.

"How are you feeling? Sorry you had to see that earlier." He said as he tried to place his hands on her shoulders, but she moved back towards the windows.

"What's going on? Why am I here? What was that?"

James took a deep breath before motioning towards the L-shaped leather couch. Fae watched where he sat down and she made a bee-line towards the other end.

"First of all, there is no need to be scared of me. If you didn't notice, I got you out of that little situation you found yourself in back there." Fae scoffed, not believing what she was hearing.

"I wouldn't have been in that situation if you hadn't sent Francis to the theater! I heard him talking to my boss and knew that you put him there to watch me you creep! What the hell is your problem? I don't even know you!" Fae shouted, standing up in the process.

James remained seated, no visible emotion on his face. "I knew the Russians would be there because they had a score to settle with one of the other dancers. They aren't the brightest, so I sent Francis to get you back to your apartment safely."

Fae stared at him, not believing him. Crossing her arms, she walked back towards the windows. It was quiet in the penthouse for a long time. Fae heard James get off the couch and make his way over to her.

"I'm not going to thank you for what you did since you put me in that situation to begin with."

"I'm not going to ask you to."

Fae turned around and faced him. "What did they want with Karina?" James' eyebrow shot up, showing he had no idea who that was. Fae rolled her eyes. "The dancer they were supposed to grab."

"She owed them money for drugs. That's all I know."

Fae placed a hand over her mouth. She didn't know Karina very well, but the information shocked her nonetheless. Fae again turned to face the window. Silence filled the penthouse once more.

"I'm guessing you would like to go back to your apartment now." James said after a few minutes. Fae shrugged, not turning towards him.

"After today's events, I just want to sleep."

"You are more than welcome to take the guestroom tonight, and Francis can drop you off at the theater tomorrow."

Fae turned around, frowning. "I don't know you. I'm not about to spend the night at your place. Besides, I was heading to a friend's-" Fae stopped, her eyes widening. "Oh my gosh, where's my phone?"

"It's probably in your bag, which is in the car."

"You have to take me somewhere, I was talking on the phone with a friend, heading to a his apartment when I was taken…"

" _His_ apartment?" Fae could detect a hint of disappointment in James' voice.

"Yes. A male _friend's_ apartment, but I can just call him and tell him my phone died and I made it back to my apartment and forgot to call him back to explain. I just want to fall asleep in my bed." Fae didn't know why she felt the need to explain herself, but she had already made the statement as she was walking towards the elevator.

She pressed the button as James' walked over to her side. She wrapped her arms around herself, still not liking being close to this man she barely even knew.

The elevator doors opened and they both walked in, James pressing the button to get to the garage. As the doors closed, Fae spoke up.

"What do you even do with the Russians? Do you work with them selling drugs?"

James smirked before looking down at her. "Do I look like a drug dealer to you?"

Fae shrugged, looking up at him. "I have no idea what one looks like. But they seemed to know you and you seemed to know them, so I just assumed."

"No, I don't sell drugs. My employer has the boys do some errands when necessary. But I can't disclose too much information."

"Your employer? Are you like a glorified secretary or something?"

James' smirked again. "You can call it that. Once again, I can't tell you too much."

"If you told me, would you have to kill me?" Fae half jokingly said. James' smirk disappeared, which was her answer.

The rest of the elevator ride was silent. As they walked out into the underground garage, Francis was waiting for them. He opened the door and James motioned for Fae to get in. As she sat down in the far seat, James shut the door and Francis walked to get into the driver's seat. Fae reached over and rolled the window down.

"You aren't coming?"

"No, Miss Nelson, I have far too much to do before the night is over."

"Oh. Well, I guess this is good bye then."

"I would much rather think of it as a good night, Miss Nelson."

"You know you don't have to call me that. If I can call you James, you can call me by my first name."

James' smirk reappeared on his face. "Well then, good night, Fae."

The car started rolling and Fae's eyes staying on James until they came around a cement block, signaling their ascent to the city streets. Fae was lost in thought for a moment before she remembered why she left James' penthouse.

"Francis, where is my bag?"

Francis reached across to the passenger's seat to retrieve her bag and he held it out to her. She thanked him as she dug for her phone. She pulled it out and saw more than several missed calls and texts from Matt. She dialed his number and he picked up before the second ring.

"Where are you? Are you safe? I've been trying to contact you-" Fae cut him off.

"I'm fine. I'm safe, I promise."

"Where are you? I'm coming to get you."

"I'm heading to my apartment…" Fae put her phone on mute as she told Francis the general direction to Matt and Foggy's firm. She unmated the phone. "You didn't call Foggy did you?"

"I almost did, but something told me you would kill me if you were ok."

"Thank goodness. Well, I'm heading to home, so I will talk to you tomorrow."

"Did you not just hear me Fae? You need to tell me what happened!"

"Mhmm, and I'm passing Bryant Park right now, heading west."

"You are heading towards my apartment, aren't you?"

"Something like that…" Fae knew that Francis was listening in on her conversation, so she tried to remain as vague as possible.

"The firm?"

"Bingo."

"I'll be there in five."

"Ok. See you tomorrow then."

Fae hung up her phone, and when they were about two blocks from the firm, Fae told Francis to stop the car.

"I can walk the rest of the way. You have probably had a longer day than me. Go and rest; see your family if you have one."

"I don't, but I would feel better if I dropped you off at your destination."

"I know this place like the back of my hand. I promise Francis, I will be fine. You can tell James you dropped me off right on my doorstep."

Fae hopped out of the car and waved goodbye as she shut the door. As soon as she turned and started walking, Francis pulled out his phone.

"Where did she tell you to go?"

"Hell's Kitchen, and by the looks of it, she is heading towards the law firm."

"No, she mentioned going to a friend's apartment. Just follow her and make sure she gets there safely. Then head back here, Mr. Fisk wants to talk to us."

"Yes sir."

Francis drove past Fae but continually looked into the rearview mirror. He saw her run to the blind lawyer and saw him wrap his arms around her in a hug as they were talking before they walked into a building. Francis sighed, decided he would keep the details of whom Fae was with to himself unless Wesley specifically asked. He turned around the corner as he headed back to see what his employer wanted, wondering what lied in store for Miss Fae Nelson.


End file.
